The crisis dogging newsrooms across the globe has nothing to do with content; rather it flows from a reliance on a broken business model, according to veteran reporter George Brock.

J. Max Robins, George BrockPhotos: Sharlene Spingler

Chaos in journalism is nothing new, said Brock, who noted that throughout history journalism has been in a state of continuous disruption beginning with the transition of the spoken word to stone tablet/parchment.

In his view, the only thing that was unusual was journalism’s extended period of relative calm before the current Internet storm hit.

The former Times of London reporter and author of “Out of Print” spoke March 26 at a Center for Communication panel called “Journalism: Bullish on the Future.” New York University’s department of media, culture and communication presented the session at the school’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

Brock said “objective journalism” is a relatively new notion, as newspapers of the past were largely argumentative or driven by political interests.

He doesn’t expect print to disappear, but the medium is inherently unstable and not the place to be.

Many electronic-based experiments will arise, though most will fail. Ultimately the vacuum left by print will be filled, said optimist Brock.

Saying the advertiser-based business model is collapsed, Waldman described media’s quandary flowing from the decision of advertisers who used to bankroll print, failing to redirect that spending to digital versions of newspapers.

The money bypassed content creators, going to places like Facebook and Google, said Waldman.

His credentials include US News & World Report (national editor), Newsweek (national correspondent), Beliefnet (founder of religion site sold to Rupert Murdoch) and Federal Communications Commission (senior advisor to chairman).